Led by head coach Jeff Hewitt, the 14-and-under U.S. National Team defeated Venezuela 12-2 for the 2011 COPABE Pan Am 14U Championship on Sunday afternoon in San Felipe, Venezuela.

Hewitt, the head baseball coach at Pinecrest since 2000, was named the tournament’s best manager after his team went 8-0 in the games that got underway on Aug. 13. The team was expected to arrive in Miami, Monday, for departure to members’ individual destinations.

Before being named the National Team coach in January, Hewitt had been involved in the scouting process for USA Basball at its national training complex in Cary since 2008. He participated in the selection of this year’s team during tryout sessions held in Scottsdale, Ariz., Fort Meyers, Fla, and Cary earlier this summer.

The U.S. stormed through the tournament defeating Panama 12-7, Mexico 7-5, Venezuela 8-6, Argentina 16-0 and Dominican Republic 15-0 in the pool phase, and then Brazil 13-3, Panama 9-4 and Venezuela 12-2 to earn the gold medal.

The U.S. homered in every game, including five in the championship contest when it jumped out to a 5-0 first-inning lead. Hewitt’s squad outscored its opponents 92-27 on the way to the title.